Don’t you mean “Westerns”?
Nope.
“Westerns” conjures-up cowboys and calvary, cattle drives and the O.K. Corral, Billy the Kid and the Earp Brothers. Saloons and liveries. Snakebites and mesas. Cactus and tumbleweed.
Sure, saddle sores and six-shooters fit the genre. Two novellas at work fit nicely into that narrow definition of “Western.” Otherwise, a good deal of what should properly be “western” is slighted.
“Western,” then?
Here, “western” is anything rooted in the “west” as we know it. However “we” individually know it. It is a philosophy, a lifestyle, a way of thinking and more importantly, a way of living. Too, the scenery, the stage upon which fictional events unfold. The people, animals, weather, hardships, and history.
Here you will find poetry spoken by a cowboy (or cowgirl, but understandably, odds of that are slim). Anecdotes set “out west” or “somewhere in the west.” Short stories. Fits and snatches of philosophy spoken from the saddle or muttered while cursing the last barbwire bite suffered stretching fence.
* Indicates this is the primary/only archive for this selection.
There is 1 primary (“*”) title here, a total of 7. The latest entry was on 9/xx/2023
Recent additions
*Tales of the West
Poemetric wild west vignettes, sometimes humorous. A collection of twelve poetic pieces from different western narrators.
Poetry and Lyrics, *Western; a poetic introduction followed by 12 individual pieces, each from 500 to 1000 words requiring 3 to 10 minutes reading time; MA: frequently adult situations and language, and violence.
Archives
Cowboy Sartorial
Humorous poetry. A cowboy gets caught-up in appropriate dress for the changing seasons. Quite pleased with his efforts at sartorial splendor, he suffers less than raving reviews for his efforts.
*Poetry, Humor, Western; spwilcenwrites 11/10/2022 “Dress for the Season” Novober 10, 2022; 325 words, 3 minutes reading time.
Crazy Wolf
Vignette(Milestone). A rancher describes a well-known local who just happens to be Native American. This description fully explores the man’s physical appearance and his strength of character. Whether or not the man’s Native name fits or not is open to interpretation.
*General Fiction, Western; Unpublished 11/26/2013, spwilcenwrites 6/19/2020; 1779 words, approximately 9 minutes reading time.
Dream Influence
Christmas vignette. Where do story ideas come from? Dreams? Nightmares? Out-dated dairy products? Can’t say for sure. This one is about good deeds, known and unknown, returning to bless, and the real meaning of Christmas, or as in the story, Midwinter Festival.
*Holidays (Christmas), Western; spwilcenwrites 12/10/2022; roughly 1500 words or under 15 minutes reading time.
Grab Me a Beer
Song lyric looking for a tune. Suffering a bit of heat, a dude goes into a bar to cool off with a beer. Never as easy as that, is it? Someone always has to get in your face. How did the dude handle it? Give a read.
Poetry and Lyrics, Western; spwilcenwrites 11/8/2020; 532 words, approximately 4 minutes reading time; NSFW for homophobic overtone, sexual innuendo, language.
May Grace Provide
Free prose. A cowhand offers his sincere wishes for your well-being. It’s but a few words we would all do well to internalize frequently, if not daily.
*Poetry and Lyrics, Western; 111 words, less than one minute reading time; Originally exposed by spwilcenwrites “With Grace – August 27, 2022”.
The Old Man
Lyric in search of a melody. An old gent quietly enjoying time in a bar is accosted by young ruffians. Physical disagreement ensues. Who wins the argument? Think “The Gambler” or “Coward of the County” – that kind of tune. When last submitted it to a Nashville studio it was appreciated with the comment, “But nobody does that kind of tune anymore.”
*Poetry and Lyrics, Western; 8/10/2009, spwilcenwrites 6/17/2020; 532 words, approximately 5 minutes; MA for fisticuffs.
Ramblings 